Something Real
by Nerdtastic78
Summary: Shedding her criminal past seems to be easier than beginning and keeping a real relationship. Can she reconcile who she was with who she wants to be when our favorite nerd decides she is worth his attention? AU all the way but promises to be Charah filled!
1. Chapter 1

_(A/N) So here it is. My first attempt at AU Chuck. I have enough notes and story line to carry this one pretty far but I guess it will really depend on what everyone thinks. Just before you start know that I am Charah all the way and this will definitely be no different even though our favorite nerd doesn't appear in this chapter. I had this random idea and I just went with it. I still haven't decided how nasty I am going to make Bryce here though, either pathetic or vile, maybe both? Hmmmm. Guess it will depend how I am feeling when I get to that part, LOL!_

_Still not cool enough to own Chuck, but I try hard every day!_

_Please review!_

Sarah drained the last bit of wine from her glass and sighed as she looked across the table. The candles were burned down and had melted wax all over the table cloth. The once steaming rack of lamb lay cold and congealed on the serving platter, completely untouched. The two place settings she had carefully laid out hours before remained pristine, food never making it to their shiny surfaces. She pushed away from the table and quickly blew out the candles, grabbed her bottle of wine and her glass and made her way to the couch. She flipped off her heels and unzipped her dress, letting it fall behind her as she flopped on the couch, grabbing her favorite throw blanket and snuggling in to it as she poured another glass of wine.

As she sipped her fourth glass of wine for the night she stared out the window of her loft apartment at the glittering lights of the city below. She was so used to being stood up at this point she wasn't even upset about it anymore. _What the hell am I doing? Why do I keep letting him do this to me?_ She reached across the coffee table and grabbed her phone, dialing quickly she held the phone to her ear and took another sip of her wine.

"Walker? I take it if you are calling me he never showed." Carina answered the phone with a sympathetic tone.

"And you would be correct. That's officially 8 months Carina. 8 months since he has even made an attempt to spend any time with me." Sarah said dejectedly, burrowing further down in to her blanket with her glass of wine.

"Ya know, I hate to say it but you give him too much credit Sarah. He's married, what do you expect? I have been telling you this was a bad idea from day one. You have been his mistress for almost 3 years now, he was bound to get bored. Once a player, always a player." Carina said as gently as she could. She was sincerely tired of these conversations because she was really tired of seeing her friend hurting.

"You're probably right, but then why in the world does he still let me stay here? I don't know Carina, this was never supposed to be like this. He told me he was leaving her, that he was going to be here with me. Then time just kept moving, and still he kept going home to her. I really thought I loved him, but I think I just loved what he represented. Freedom. A way out." Sarah rambled, starting to feel the wine finally and getting a bit emotional as she thought about what had brought her here to begin with.

"I know. But Sarah, you don't love him. Hell, at this point I don't even think you like him very much. I know why you started this, but for the life of me I cannot figure out why you have stayed so long. It's time to move on. You know I have a room ready for you at my place."

"Yeah, because being a third wheel on your random hook ups every night sounds like a lot of fun." Sarah rolled her eyes and smiled at the thought of living with her best friend. Carina was amazingly beautiful and not only did she know it but half of California did as well. Her sheets were never cold unless she wanted them that way, which was not very often. "I do agree though, it's time to move on. I just have to figure out what that means considering he's also my boss."

"There are other businesses that need PR reps Sarah. Bryce "Douchetastic" Larkin is not the only game in town. Besides, you need a job that you didn't get by sleeping with the boss. You are so much better than that." Carina scolded her lovingly, trying to keep the snark out of her voice because she didn't want her friend becoming defensive on the other end.

"I'm such a loser Carina. I can't keep a man interested, I can't get a decent job without spreading my legs, and I don't even have my own place to live. What am I going to do?" Sarah began that short road to self deprecation as the wine finally took hold of her.

"HEY! Don't you talk like that! You would have no issues keeping a man if you found the right one, your almost as hot as I am! Any non-married man with half a brain would give his right arm to be with you. And you are good at your job, Bryce didn't win the Silver Anvil award babe, you did. That had nothing to do with sleeping with Bryce. So he got you the job because you were sleeping together, big deal. You have proved your worth to that company ten times over and you know it. And my offer still stands on the room, just until you get your feet on the ground. Sarah, you are better than this, please believe me. I am not good at blowing sunshine up people's asses. I only speak the truth, you know that." Carina passionately countered Sarah's depressed thoughts one by one, wishing she could put Bryce's nuts in a vice for making her feel this way to begin with.

"Thanks Carina, you're right. It still hurts though. What does Jill have that I don't?" Sarah said quietly, more to herself than to Carina.

"A wedding ring." Carina stated bluntly. "And an asshole cheater for a husband." Carina added with an amused tone sprinkled with distaste.

Sarah smiled and laughed softly. "And that is why you are my best friend."

Carina laughed. "Go to bed Sarah."

"G'night Carina, thanks." Sarah said sincerely.

"Anytime." Carina said and hung up.

Sarah threw the blanket off her and put her wine glass down on the coffee table. She grabbed her clothes off the floor and headed back to her bedroom, staggering slightly as she made her way to the bed. She plugged her phone in and made sure her alarm was set before she crawled in between the blankets and fell asleep.

Around three in the morning Sarah awoke to the sound of someone stumbling around in her living room. She reached under her pillow and pulled out her knife and stayed perfectly still as the noisy intruder made their way closer and closer to her room. Just as she was about to throw the knife she heard a loud whisper coming from the shadow that stood in her doorway.

"Sarah? Baby? Are you awake?" She slid the knife under her pillow and turned over to see a very disheveled Bryce clumsily walking through her doorway towards her bed.

"Bryce? It's three in the morning, what are you doing here?" Sarah asked angrily.

Bryce got to the bed and began pulling his clothes off, reaching out for her face as he did so. "Aww baby, don't be like that. I'm sorry I missed dinner but I had some important clients in town. They wanted to eat dinner and go out for drinks and then one thing led to another and we were at a strip club…" he stopped talking and flopped on top of her causing her to groan loudly as he clumsily tried to kiss her.

"Are you kidding me right now? Get off me!" Sarah pushed him off her and got out of bed, flipping the side lamp on and staring down at her intruder. "You stood me up Bryce, AGAIN! I'm done. You haven't spent any time with me in 8 months! 8 MONTHS BRYCE! I know you have the wife at home and all but what that means for me is I haven't had sex in 8 months, and I damn sure am not going to take the drunken pity screw version right now! GET OUT!" Sarah screamed and pointed towards the door.

Bryce stared at her with an unreadable expression and slowly stood up. His eyes never left hers as he started to collect his clothes from the floor. Suddenly he dropped them and grabbed her angrily shaking form and pulled her to him. "I really am sorry Sarah. Just so we are clear though, my wife and I do not have sex. You know that. It has been just as long for me, I promise I have just been busy with work." He cupped her jaw with his right hand and ran his left hand softly up and down her back. "I have missed you so much baby…" he began kissing her neck and slowly moving her towards the bed with him.

Sarah closed her eyes and for a split second considered letting him have his way, she was craving being touched and his hands felt so good on her body. It had been so long. As she leaned her head back and Bryce made his way down her neck with his lips she remembered the amazing meal she had cooked all afternoon for him, the one that sat on the table still, untouched. She placed her hands on his chest and pushed him away. "No Bryce. This is not happening. I deserve more than a 3 AM booty call. You need to go home to your wife."

Bryce stood with a disappointed look on his face and once again started collecting his clothes. He sat on the bed to place his shoes on and looked up at her. "Let me make it up to you, please? The biggest party of the year is tomorrow at Diane Beckman's estate. You can make some great contacts there, we can do some dancing, have a few drinks, and then afterwards we can spend the night together, just you and me. Jill will be at her parents all weekend. I will stay here with you all weekend baby, I promise."

Sarah considered this proposition. She knew what it took to get in to Beckman's parties, and she also knew how good it would be for her career to be seen there. She wasn't really interested in the weekend slumber party but he had never stayed the night with her, she doubted he would actually do so now. Still the thought was intriguing and she figured the party would be worth it for her own reasons. "Fine. I will meet you there. Now go, I have to get some sleep." Sarah said as she wearily pointed at the door. Bryce smiled and stood up.

"That's my girl. You sure we can't have a little moment before I go?" Bryce said as he walked up to her and grabbed her waist. Sarah pulled away almost immediately and pointed towards the door again with an angry growl. "Ok! I'm going!" Bryce backed away and grabbed his coat off the floor as he walked towards the front door. "Tomorrow you are mine though Sarah." Bryce said with a cocky smile as he was closing the door behind him.

Sarah locked the deadbolt and slid the chain in place behind him. Apparently the chain was needed to keep from having unwelcomed visitors now. She turned and leaned her back against the door and slid down to the floor, staring at her hands which were currently shaking. "We'll see Bryce. We'll see." She sat on the floor and allowed herself a moment to calm down before picking herself up off the floor and heading back to bed, alone.

Sarah awoke to her alarm and realized quickly she had slept through about 30 minutes of its incessant ringing. _Late is always such a great way to start your Friday._ She scrambled out of bed and flew in to the shower. She had spent most the night thinking about her current situation, or more to the point how to get out of her current situation. She was finally sure that she wanted away from Bryce. Whatever misguided relationship they had shared was no longer worth what she felt like she was paying. She had let him make her a kept woman for long enough. It was what she had needed in the beginning, coming out of one con and starting another was the only way she had ever known how to survive. In a way she had kept that mentality with this arrangement. Bryce was the mark, she needed his money and she gave him what he wanted in order to get that. Somewhere along the way she had just let her feelings get in the way and it had given him the upper hand. She was keenly aware that she had lost control of Bryce a long time ago, but even more so she was aware of why and it scared her. She had lost her edge because for the first time in her life she was looking for something real. The more she looked at it from the outside the more she realized that her dad would have been giving her a whole ration of "I told you so" right now. The mere thought of her father made her cringe.

**_3 years ago_**

_"__Sarah! You have to do this! We need this score to fund the rest of the year, you know this!" Jack angrily chided his daughter as she stood in front of him in her graduation robes._

_"__I know Dad. I know." Sarah said as she stared at the ground, careful not to make eye contact with her already angry father. "I just thought maybe today I could enjoy my graduation. You know, the one that I worked really hard for." She said somewhat snippy._

_"__There will be plenty of time for that later Darlin'. Right now I need you at that booth, charming that geeky treasurer so I can get that donation money right out of his Ivy League little hands…go now and I will be right behind you…then we can meet back up later at the hotel and celebrate!" Jack said with a smile and loving fist bump to her chin. She sadly turned around and made her way to the charity booth her father had marked and began chatting with the young man who sat in front of it with his laptop. As the young man stared at her chest and talked excitedly about game he was currently playing, she watched her father easily come up behind the young man and grab the cash box and empty it in to his briefcase he had been carrying. Her stomach dropped and for the first time she realized not only could she not do this anymore, but she actually had the means to stop doing it. She had a degree, something she had earned. This degree was not a con, this was real, and it was something that couldn't be taken away from her. She smiled at the geek and reached out to touch his hand. His overly excited ramblings stopped and he looked at her hand on his. She just smiled some more, patted his hand and turned and walked away, vowing to herself that he was the last mark she would ever play for her father. _

_She walked around the school grounds slowly, taking in the sights and the smells for the last time, knowing that tomorrow she was officially no longer a student. As she walked she wondered in to a group of booths that had been sat up in a small area of the quad, career placement booths. She was still in her own little world when a young blue eyed executive awoke her from her daydreaming._

_"__Miss?" he said tentatively, reaching his hand out to her with an alarmingly sexy smile beaming from his model like façade. He got her attention and she stopped, shaking his aforementioned hand and smiling back. His booth was covered in the logo "Larkin Incorporated" and she briefly wondered what kind of company it was, she had never heard of it._

_"__Hello sir, er…Mr.?" Sarah fished for more information from this dashing young man._

_"__Mr. Larkin…Bryce actually. And you are?" The suave young man answered her quickly, never hesitating._

_"__Sarah, Sarah Walker." She answered politely._

_"__Ah, Ms. Walker. I am truly pleased to meet you! Congratulations on your graduation today. All Harvard certified now and many amazing opportunities pouring at your feet I'm sure." Bryce continued the conversation, joking with her and never loosing eye contact with her._

_"__Well…Bryce…I hadn't really thought about it actually. It's a little overwhelming at the moment, everyone wants something from you, ya know?" Sarah said cautiously, but she was entirely intrigued with this man that was able to hold a conversation with her and not her breasts._

_"__Indeed I do Sarah. I would be lying if I wasn't honest and admitted I would like something from you as well." Bryce suddenly dropped into a faux serious tone, mischief still gleaming in his eyes. "I think that I might like to have your company for dinner tonight, if you would be so inclined to give me that honor that is."_

_Sarah just stared at this young man. She thought about her father and the fact that he would be expecting her to return to the hotel shortly so they could make their escape to the next town before the money they had swindled was found out. She thought about the past 4 years she had fought with her father to stay here and finish her degree, only convincing him by promising as soon as she was done she would move on with him to the next town and the next job. This man sat in front of her and promised her something real, a dinner without a sub plot. A conversation without an ulterior motive on her part, a real connection with someone. She wanted that more than anything right now and was surprised when she heard herself answering his proposal with ease. _

_"__I would love to Bryce."_

_His smile became even bigger and reached his eyes with her response and she immediately felt her insides warm up. "Let me get my coat. I think we were done here today anyway!" He said as he began closing things up in the booth. He jumped around the corner while slipping his coat on and placed his elbow out for her to hold as they walked off campus and towards his car._

_They had an amazing dinner at some restaurant she had only heard of previously. He had talked about his company and himself quite a bit. Sarah decided she was ok with that, it kept her from having to talk too much about herself. She listened and she observed him throughout the night, and a plan formed in her mind as the time ticked away. Half way through the night she had noticed many things and as much as she didn't want to she found herself slipping in to the role of a con artist all over again. She knew from watching his movements that this was a usual routine for him, this dinner was either identical or closely similar to many dinners he had hosted over the years. She assumed it was primarily women he did this with though she wouldn't put it past someone of his … talents, to not use it on men for business as well. She could see the tan line on his left ring finger, so he was either newly divorced or sans ring for the occasion. He was a con artist just like she was, he just was apparently not against "shitting where he ate" so to speak. She decided she could use this to her advantage eventually and allowed the date to continue. She never made it to the hotel where her father was that night. She went with Bryce to his apartment and spent the night taking out all of her frustration and tension on one very married, and very enthusiastic executive named Bryce Larkin._

_That night came and went as did many others that followed. She had never left the apartment after the first night, Bryce insisted she stayed when she had had a moment of honesty about her father and explained she was now basically homeless. He not only allowed her to live in his apartment but he offered her a job, which she quickly took. She got her occasional physical desires met, had a beautiful loft apartment to spend her nights in, and a job that she absolutely adored and was rather good at. She had carved out a nice safe ledge for herself through Bryce and never bothered to look back._

_Until now. _She thought to herself as she gathered her briefcase, phone, and keys and headed for the parking garage. Her Porsche gleamed in the well lit garage as she hit her keyless entry and climbed in as gracefully as she could with her pencil skirt. This was the only thing she had allowed herself since she started this job. It was her perk, her one concession she gave herself that made it obvious how much Bryce had been paying her over the years. This car was her baby, she took better care of it than she did herself most days. It was hers; it had absolutely nothing to do with anyone else. She had earned it fair and square, bought and paid for and it was completely legal. It was the first and only thing she had ever had like that and to her it was what stood her apart from her father. This was her beacon of light out of the life of the con. This rather expensive token was a symbol of her ability to be a normal law abiding citizen with a fancy degree and a good paying job. It was a beginning for her; it was something she could look at every day to remind herself that she was better off without her father.


	2. Chapter 2

_(A/N) Sorry my update is a bit behind. This story has taken off on a life of its own. I have like 5 different directions I could take this in and I still can't decide which way to go. Super Fun!_

_Anyway, I still don't own the coolest show ever. _

_Please review! Let me know how much you hate/love it!_

As Sarah sat behind her desk her mind was humming with anything other than what she had pulled up on her computer. She had read the same page probably 40 times by now and she still had no idea what it said. She couldn't stop thinking about tonight. She had decided that tonight was her chance. If she worked this right she could walk away from Bryce, and have seeds planted towards a new job all with one night's worth of working a crowd. She was brought out of her daydreams when her phone suddenly rang. She shook her head and quickly reached for the phone to stop its incessant shrill beeping.

"Sarah Walker." She said quickly, startled that she had actually zoned out so completely.

"Hey Blondie, how's your day going?" Carina's voice echoed through Sarah's small office over the speaker.

Sarah picked up the headset to avoid the office moles who love to hear any gossip, knowing Carina she was about to say something highly inappropriate about someone, it was just standard. "Not too bad actually, I'm going to Beckman's party tonight." Sarah said casually, knowing Carina would know exactly how huge it was.

"No freaking way Walker! How in the hell did you get an invite the night before the biggest West Coast soirée of the year?" Carina shouted in excitement, causing Sarah to pull the phone back from her ear slightly to avoid a certain migraine.

"Well, Bryce showed up last night and…" Sarah began.

"Oh. My. God. You are never going to learn are you?" Carina's excitement was now replaced with absolute disbelief and a good helping of pity laced between every word.

"Hey little miss One Night Stand, hold off on the judgments until I finish. You will actually be pretty proud of me I think." Sarah said defensively, a small frown beginning to form upon her face.

"Fine. Pray tell. What amazing news could you possibly have regarding Mr. Larkin?" Carina said dryly.

Sarah ignored her friends tone and told her about Bryce's drunken visit last night and what she had decided to do with Bryce's invitation. She laid out her plan, including the list of contacts she intended to have Bryce introduce her to. She also even had a plan of how she would be leaving the party without Mr. Larkin, and if it went the way she planned it would be the end for them completely. When she came to the end of her whole carefully thought out scheme she stopped and took a breath. "Well? What do you think?" She asked Carina who had not spoken a word.

"I think you are somewhat scary when you are determined Sarah." Carina said with faux meekness, and then she laughed. "Which is one of the major reasons I like you. I think it's a great idea, especially the part where you leave Bryce. I just want you to be careful. Your plan counts on a lot of things to happen exactly the way you need them to. I mean … don't be surprised if things don't happen like that. Make sure you have you improvisation skills handy. Whatever happens though Sarah, ending it with him is priority, remember that." Carina said with a serious tone she didn't often use.

"Believe me, I know. Carina, I'm done. I told you. I'm just trying to put my way out together. You were right. I have worked too hard for my career for it to be taken away without a fight on my end. I don't need him to have a job and tonight I am going to be me and meet people and hopefully leave a mark on someone who will remember me in the following weeks when I am looking for a job the old fashioned way." Sarah said with a resolve she hadn't felt in a long time, not since that night so long ago when she had met Bryce.

"That's my girl Walker! I knew you weren't gone. I just kept waiting for you to show back up! Go get that jackass. I'll expect a full report tomorrow over lunch." Carina said with a small laugh as she hung up the phone. Sarah smiled and sat back in her chair and looked around her office. It wasn't much and she had never really personalized it at all. What was she going to do, put up a picture of her "boyfriend"? She laughed out loud at the thought. She never had a real boyfriend, Bryce certainly didn't count.

She was ready for the next evolution of her life, one that involved nothing but her and her dreams. She was ready to begin a life with no secrets and no lies, a clean slate from her past. She was ready to shed her last con. Her "relationship" with Bryce had only evolved from a one night stand because he offered her a place to stay and a job. Then she had made the mistake of attempting to have an actual relationship with him, believing his lies and his promises because they felt better than nothing. Lies and broken promises were what her whole life had been built on. With her father, that's just what she was used to. Before she knew it she was the one being conned by Bryce though. She believed he would leave Jill, because he had promised her one night in the throes of passion that he would. He was the only man she had ever been with other than her first. That had been one night though, a long time ago in some random high school in some random town. With Bryce it had time to become functional, they had figured each other out easily and they both took what they needed from the other without apology. She was in lust. Period. The sex was all she "loved" about this man. She could admit that now but looking back she saw how she had allowed herself to hope for something deeper. It had thrown her off. She knew a long time ago she was looking for something that Bryce was never going to give her, she had just lacked the faith in herself to move on to something better so she settled. _Not anymore. _

She pulled up to the bustling mansion in her freshly washed status symbol and glanced at herself in her make-up mirror. She steeled herself as she looked in to her own piercing blue eyes. _You can do this. You can do this. _She allowed the mantra to roll through her nervous mind as she stepped out and handed her keys to the valet. As she walked towards the door she decided she would be in better form for this "mission" if she allowed her inner con-artist to take over for the last time, she reasoned with herself that she essentially had memorized a list of marks that she had to make contact with. Her decision made she immediately infused her walk with a confidence she didn't feel and finished the long walk to the entrance.

"Good evening miss. Name?" The beefy blonde in the Armani suit asked her from behind his industrial podium.

"Sarah Walker. Guest of Bryce Larkin." She said with a smile as she watched his hands flip through the leather binder he had in front of him.

"Yes miss. I actually have a message for you from Mr. Larkin." He handed her a small envelope and waved her in the door.

She stared at the envelope for quite awhile, slowly walking her way towards the bar. She had an overwhelming crushing feeling as she sat on a barstool and ordered a Martini. She drank the whole drink the minute the bartender put it in front of her, all her former confidence suddenly nowhere to be found. She ordered another and found herself tracing her name across the front of the envelope. She knew the writing well. She also knows that he had written it in haste. This was sloppy and hurried, for some reason the word _afterthought_ came to her mind. She took another large drink of her second Martini and ran her nail under the fold of the envelope, opening the cause of her suddenly sinking ship.

**Sarah-**

**Jill is still in town, she's here with me. I'm really sorry baby. I promise I will make it up to you soon. Enjoy the party, it's the least I can do. I will try to find you and say hi.**

**-Bryce-**

Sarah could see the paper being crushed in her hands and then she couldn't. Suddenly her vision became blurry and the tears welled up in her eyes. Without him she had no way of meeting the people she was here to meet, she had no way of putting her plan in action. More importantly, she had no way of telling him it was over. Not unless she wanted to start a bigger scene than she could handle with his wife. She wiped her watery eyes with the back of her hand, trying desperately to make sure she didn't smear her eyeliner. She took a deep breath and finished off her second drink. She had to regain composure or this would be what they all remembered, her at the bar crying. _I hate that man. _She ordered another drink and made her way to a quiet seat at the end of the bar, away from the traffic. She sat at the barstool and began to drown her disappointment in the bottle, not really knowing what else to do. She thought about her life and she began preparing herself for the inevitable, she was going to have to move in with Carina. At that thought she downed another drink and made her next order, not noticing the small red head that had sat down next to her and ordered a drink as well.

"Bad night already?" The small ginger asked her with a surprisingly commanding voice as she sipped her highball double of Johnny Walker Black.

Sarah didn't even glance her way as she answered."You have no idea."

The two sat in silence for a few more minutes and the small woman spoke up again."A guy?"

Sarah snorted and smiled sadly. "You could say that, but he was just a drop in the bucket tonight."

"Been there. They always think they are center of the world, until they aren't. I guarantee you, whatever he did or didn't do isn't worth the anger you are drinking away right now, just some friendly advice." The red head said softly.

"Oh, I know he isn't, I have known that for a long time. He just screwed something up for me that I was kind of depending on. Come Monday this girl is jobless and homeless, and that is what I am drinking away." Sarah said bitterly as she continued to down one drink after the other.

"Sounds like a real winner. I'm sorry." The small woman said with surprisingly little emotion. She took another drink and then turned to Sarah. "What do you do if I may ask?"

Sarah still never looked up from her drink as she unceremoniously answered her. "I'm a Public Relations Manager, well … I was anyway."

"Yes! That's where I know you from, you're the Silver Anvil winner Walkin or…Walker, that's it…er … you work for Larkin …oh…" The small redhead seemed to have connected more dots than Sarah had actually given her and she frowned slightly as she took another drink.

Sarah noticed the sudden train derailment and looked up only to see the woman's face for the first time and finally realize she had just spilled her woes to none other than Diane Beckman herself. She stared for a moment and then despite her best effort she began laughing. This was her night, plan A ruined by Bryce and any chance at picking up the pieces just shattered as she had just whined to the end all be all of publicity makers. "It's Sarah. Sarah Walker. And yeah, I did anyway. I'm really sorry for burying you with my issues Ms. Beckman. I'm not normally like this I just …"

"Calm down Sarah, everyone has their moments. If it's Larkin you are dealing with than it doesn't surprise me, I apologize for my candor at the moment. I'm not feeling very social today, blunt and truthful seems to be my direction for the evening. I'm sure the Scotch isn't helping that but hey, it's my party so they say." She said wearily as she downed another glass and relieved the bartender of the bottle when he came back for another pour. "Larkin is a real piece of work, he's not above burying anyone, not even his closest "friends"". She used the air bunnies as she said friends.

Sarah smiled at Diane's comments and took another drink, deciding to just go with the flow. She couldn't believe she was actually getting drunk with Diane Beckman, at her party. _Things could be worse I guess._ "He doesn't even know actually, I planned on telling him tonight. I just can't work with him anymore."

Diane looked at her and smiled impishly. "So you are quitting? You aren't fired or anything?"

Sarah saw her smile and suddenly felt like she had just caught a really big fish. Diane was scheming, she would know that look anywhere. It was part of her family crest. "No. I haven't given notice because I was scared he would cause a scene. I just thought I would look around for another job and jump ship when I got one."

"Well my dear, fortune smiles upon you tonight. " Diane smiled and reached behind the bar and pulled out a business card and a pen. She wrote a number on the back and handed it to her. "Come in Monday morning, I believe we have a place for you that will make Larkin Inc. look like a job for a teenager. I love taking anything he wants. He's owed a few disappointments in life."

Sarah took the card and glanced at the front. Carmichael Industries. She had to fight with herself to not fist pump and try to garner a high five from the woman in front of her so instead she just smiled and said "Thank you!" like a high school valley girl with the upward inflection and everything. She was sure her cheeks could not be any more red as she took another drink from her Martini.

"Not a problem, our PR department could use some new blood. I think we can help each other out here. My nephew owns the company, but he will take my recommendation. I don't doubt that you come with an impressive resume as well though." Diane seemed to relax as she moved through her next drink.

"Harvard and Larkin, that's it really." Sarah said almost apologetically.

"As I said! An impressive resume!" Diane said with a smile. Sarah considered her remark and couldn't help but smile back. _It is impressive damn it! I worked hard to get here, Bryce or not I deserve this._ Sarah looked over Diane's shoulder as a dapper gentleman with gray hair and a smoking jacket came up behind Diane and placed his hands over her eyes.

"Guess who my beautiful flower!" The man said with a smile. Diane broke a small smile beneath his hands but immediately let it drop for a faux angry face.

"Roan, what are you doing here?" She said with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

The man dropped his hands and moved to face her. "Now, you know I can't stay away from you. I heard you would be here, alone, of course I had to come." His hands found hers and began tracing the top of her knuckles.

Sarah decided she was suddenly the third wheel in a weird intimate conversation she felt awkward to even overhear, much less be this close to. She began to gather her things. Beckman popped up from her chair and grabbed her bottle and not only her glass but another clean one from behind the bar. "If you will excuse me Sarah, the party calls!" She said with a sly smile, Roan following right behind her with just as sly of a smile plastered across his face.

Sarah smiled a genuine smile as she watched them walk away. She placed the holy grail of business cards in her clutch and proceeded to finish her drink. She ordered one more and stood up to walk outside. She crossed the threshold of the back door and as she scanned the festivities she saw a gazebo in the distance that was calling her name so she began the slow walk that way. When she got there she sat and sipped her drink and listened to the music being pumped through the random outdoor speakers in every other plant. She was so lost in the song that was playing that she didn't notice the man enter the gazebo until he was standing in front of her and she saw the tips of his shoes as she swayed her head. It startled her and she jumped, spilling her drink across her clutch and the bottom half of her dress. She stood quickly and came face to face with a smiling Bryce Larkin.

"You look amazing Sarah." He said in a deep growl as he leaned in to kiss her.

Sarah backed up quickly and just glared at him. "Are you kidding me right now? You stand me up yet again and you think you can just act like nothing happened?" She was trying to dry off her dress, forgetting all about her clutch that lay in a puddle of vodka and vermouth.

"What can I do? The wife changed her plans last minute, said she wanted to go to the party before she left for her parents. "Bryce said apologetically, looking around somewhat uncomfortably.

Sarah just stared. _Screw Plan A._ "You know what Bryce, you can't do anything. Actually, a better way to describe it is that you won't do anything. I'm done. I'm done with whatever this is." She motioned between herself and him as she said it."I'm done with you, I'm done with your constant disappointments, and your lies. I'm done working for you. I'm done living where you feel like you have an all access pass whenever you feel the urge. I'm just done Bryce, with all of it."

Bryce just stared at her like she had lost her mind. "I think you might have had a bit too much to drink Sarah, maybe we should discuss this when you have had time to sober up …"

"No Bryce. I will admit I have had plenty to drink. In no way is that preventing me from telling you what I came here to tell you. I knew you would find a way to screw this up, you always do. I'm not important to you, I'm just somewhere you dip your wick occasionally. Hear me now Bryce, we are done. Professionally and personally. IT. IS. OVER. Make no mistake, I mean it now, I will mean it tomorrow, and I will mean it Monday when I don't come to work." Sarah said as calmly as she possibly could, trying not to raise her voice. His denial was blinding though and he made a move to come towards her. "Touch me and I will make sure your wife knows exactly what is going on here and what has gone on for the past 3 years. Try me Bryce, I dare you." Sarah said between clenched teeth.

"You wouldn't." He said and took another step.

"I believe the lady has asked you to leave Bryce." Another voice came from behind the Gazebo just as Sarah was preparing to make good on her promise to alert the locals, and his wife. Roan appeared with Diane close at his side.

Bryce stopped and just stared at Sarah with anger. "Roan … Diane. This is a private matter. I assure you we are fine."

"The only person who has privacy on these grounds is me. I assure you I can go find your wife to coral you if you can't do it yourself Bryce." Diane spoke up with an air of superiority in her voice.

Bryce closed his eyes and rolled them at the same time. Sarah could see the anger and frustration coming off him in waves. She was almost sure this was the first time she had ever seen Bryce put in his place by anyone. "This is not over." He said in a hiss at her as he turned and walked off towards the house.

Sarah glanced over at the amorous couple and smiled. "Thanks Diane, Roan. I appreciate the assist."

Diane and Roan were already walking away and they both waved over their shoulders. She was sure she heard Diane mumble something about Monday as she was walking away which made her smile even bigger. Then suddenly her smile caught in her throat and she felt a wave of panic overcome her. She turned around to the Gazebo and there on the bench was her clutch, completely soaked. She ran to it and opened it and fished out the business card, it fell apart in her hands. She almost stopped breathing. She could only make out the first letter of each word Diane had written. A letter C and a letter B. She hadn't even looked at it before because she didn't want to seem too eager, now she had no idea what Diane had written. She looked up where the couple had wondered off but she didn't see them anymore.

"BRYCE! Could you ruin anything else for me?" She said out loud to no one as she sagged against the railing. She shook her head and stood tall as she walked toward the house. She was done letting others dictate her world. She would show up at Carmichael Ind. Monday and she didn't need a business card to do it. Diane Beckman knew her name. She made it to the valet and gave them her soaked ticket, thankfully it was still readable. As she waited for them to bring her Porsche to her she pulled out her phone and sent out a text to Carina.

**U will never believe my night**

Carina text her back almost immediately.

**Is the deed done?**

Sarah laughed.

**Yes. That's not even the good part though. Gotta drive. Lunch 2mar right?**

Sarah got in her car and pulled away just as Carina's text came back.

**I B There!**


End file.
